Book Details

Book Description

iWork is Apple on a shoestring: iWork costs a fraction of the price of full creative suites and yet is packed with the potential to achieve the same results.

With its word processing and design application called Pages, spreadsheet program Numbers, and presentation creator Keynote, the elegance of iWork is its intuitive behaviour which makes it easy to learn and popular with Mac users.

While Pages can open Word documents and be exported into Word, Numbers doesn't stumble over Excel and iWork documents can be created and viewed on portable devices. Lesser known is iWork's ability to give users great design capability which is comparable to top-end programs such as InDesign and Quark.

"iWork for Mac OS X Cookbook" is the 'missing manual' which shows users how to exploit iWork's full potential. By taking a lateral approach to this relatively inexpensive software, you can find solutions to all your professional and creative needs, from designing logos and brochures to producing a high quality monthly magazine.

This cookbook begins with simple ways to format and organize text with stunning graphic highlights and drop caps, as well as showing how easy it is to import and export MS documents in a couple of clicks.

This well-illustrated, step-by-step guide then shows you how to create your own unique clip art, logos, and photo cut-outs and even how to draw your own pictures for home or professional projects, such as cards or magazines.

Packed with the author's own tips and his 'beyond the manuals' approach to iWork, this book will convince you that, whatever you're working on, this is the only productivity suite you need.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Lateral Thinking

Introduction

What to do when color options disappear

Copying and pasting from Numbers to Pages

Stacking photos by using the Bring to Front and Send to Back options to layer photos

Using Command + F to search long documents when editing

Chapter 2: Working with Text

Introduction

Changing font (typeface) using toolbar, menus, or Font Panel—when to use which

Blank paragraphs versus spaces after paragraphs

Fitting more text on a page than it can hold

Using tabs to stop text sticking to the edges of a colored background

Creating smudged highlights for text

Creating drop caps with the Custom Image bullets

Chapter 3: Working Across Platforms and Applications

Introduction

Dragging a Word file onto the Pages icon to open it

Opening the Excel documents in Numbers, editing them, and exporting them back into Excel

Keynote and PowerPoint—working together

Using screenshots and PNG files—shortcuts, options, and tricks

Fitting files of other formats into iWork documents

Making JPEG images from iWork documents

Making a good PDF from an iWork document, and CMYK PDFs for professional printing

Dragging and dropping files from one application to another

Chapter 4: Where to Find Shortcuts and How to Remember Them

Introduction

Shortcuts for opening new documents, new folders, and duplicates

Saving and autosaving—don't rely on Auto Save

Send to Back and Bring to Front—iWork-specific shortcuts

Grouping and ungrouping—making multiple elements into one

Undo and Redo—the most important shortcuts

Chapter 5: Working with Photos: Tips and Tricks

Introduction

Placing, cropping, editing, moving, and resizing photos

Masking photos, and the magnifying glass trick

Masking versus Image Fill—when Image Fill is easier than Masking

Background images—setting a photo as the background and finding suitable photos

Removing and changing the background in photos with Instant Alpha

Using "patches" to improve photos

Making cutouts with edited masks

Chapter 6: Graphic Design—Working with Clip Art and Making Your Own

Introduction

Making symbols from Character Palette into clip art—where to find clip art for iWork

Using elements of iWork templates as clip art—clipping a photo to a hand-written note

Using clip art and photos in charts—the unbeatable visual effect of Numbers documents

Chapter 12: Keynote Uncovered: a Few Techniques

Introduction

Adding text to Keynote slides

Placing and editing photos in Keynote slides

Copying Keynote slides into Pages and Numbers

Adding audio files to slideshows

Making QuickTime movies from Keynote slideshows

What You Will Learn

Create your own logos, clip art, and templates

Use Draw tool to make copies of famous pictures

Change backgrounds and use patches and cut-outs on photos

Create press quality PDFs from iWork documents

Put images inside letters

Design your own drop caps and graphic headers

Use Numbers to demystify Excel spreadsheets

Make movies in Keynote

Authors

Alexander Anichkin

Alexander Anichkin created a small publishing company in 2005, in order to produce a monthly, glossy magazine. To keep costs down, he bought iWork to launch the publication, planning to invest in a full creative suite later on. But the longer he used iWork, the more he discovered its full creative potential—the stuff that the manuals don't tell you—and in 2006 he started writing his popular and influential blog I Work in Pages to share his discoveries with thousands of followers world-wide.
In iWork for Mac OS X Cookbook, he has shown, to both new and experienced iWork users, how this inexpensive software is all you need to fulfill your professional creative projects.
Russian-born Alexander Anichkin was trained in political journalism, editing, design, and print production in Moscow and Wales. He worked at TASS and Izvestia as an editor and writer in Russia, Britain, and Japan before going independent. He now lives in France with his family.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Lateral Thinking

Introduction

What to do when color options disappear

Copying and pasting from Numbers to Pages

Stacking photos by using the Bring to Front and Send to Back options to layer photos

Using Command + F to search long documents when editing

Chapter 2: Working with Text

Introduction

Changing font (typeface) using toolbar, menus, or Font Panel—when to use which

Blank paragraphs versus spaces after paragraphs

Fitting more text on a page than it can hold

Using tabs to stop text sticking to the edges of a colored background

Creating smudged highlights for text

Creating drop caps with the Custom Image bullets

Chapter 3: Working Across Platforms and Applications

Introduction

Dragging a Word file onto the Pages icon to open it

Opening the Excel documents in Numbers, editing them, and exporting them back into Excel

Keynote and PowerPoint—working together

Using screenshots and PNG files—shortcuts, options, and tricks

Fitting files of other formats into iWork documents

Making JPEG images from iWork documents

Making a good PDF from an iWork document, and CMYK PDFs for professional printing

Dragging and dropping files from one application to another

Chapter 4: Where to Find Shortcuts and How to Remember Them

Introduction

Shortcuts for opening new documents, new folders, and duplicates

Saving and autosaving—don't rely on Auto Save

Send to Back and Bring to Front—iWork-specific shortcuts

Grouping and ungrouping—making multiple elements into one

Undo and Redo—the most important shortcuts

Chapter 5: Working with Photos: Tips and Tricks

Introduction

Placing, cropping, editing, moving, and resizing photos

Masking photos, and the magnifying glass trick

Masking versus Image Fill—when Image Fill is easier than Masking

Background images—setting a photo as the background and finding suitable photos

Removing and changing the background in photos with Instant Alpha

Using "patches" to improve photos

Making cutouts with edited masks

Chapter 6: Graphic Design—Working with Clip Art and Making Your Own

Introduction

Making symbols from Character Palette into clip art—where to find clip art for iWork

Using elements of iWork templates as clip art—clipping a photo to a hand-written note

Alerts & Offers

Series & Level

We understand your time is important. Uniquely amongst the major publishers, we seek to develop and publish the broadest range of learning and information products on each technology. Every Packt product delivers a specific learning pathway, broadly defined by the Series type. This structured approach enables you to select the pathway which best suits your knowledge level, learning style and task objectives.

Learning

As a new user, these step-by-step tutorial guides will give you all the practical skills necessary to become competent and efficient.

Beginner's Guide

Friendly, informal tutorials that provide a practical introduction using examples, activities, and challenges.

Essentials

Fast paced, concentrated introductions showing the quickest way to put the tool to work in the real world.

Cookbook

A collection of practical self-contained recipes that all users of the technology will find useful for building more powerful and reliable systems.

Blueprints

Guides you through the most common types of project you'll encounter, giving you end-to-end guidance on how to build your specific solution quickly and reliably.

Mastering

Take your skills to the next level with advanced tutorials that will give you confidence to master the tool's most powerful features.

Starting

Accessible to readers adopting the topic, these titles get you into the tool or technology so that you can become an effective user.

Progressing

Building on core skills you already have, these titles share solutions and expertise so you become a highly productive power user.